The Wall Street Journal's Michael Clerizo called it one of his three favorites of the show, and the fact that a company that had been primarily known for high jewelry timepieces had created something so mechanically complex, as well as visually spectacular, got a lot of heads turning and tongues wagging.but it was certainly the most stunning from a design standpoint, and there was something about it that really captured the watch world's collective imagination. This sort of really over-the-top, maximalist, go-big-or-go-home watch design was something a great many companies, both new and established, but it's a hard thing to get right as it requires a sense for the essence of excess that very few watch companies have.

Since the first model was introduced, the design has continued to evolve. One of the most interesting models is the Astronomia Sky, which includes a sidereal time indication and star chart .

This is different from other watches in a number of respects. The first that you'll probably notice is that the central carrier has three arms, not four. The time is visible on one dial (which is mounted on a differential gear system that ensures that 12:00 is always at the top, in order to make the time easier to read) and the tourbillon is on a second carrier arm; the globe representing the Earth is on the third arm. At the center of carrier is a 1.5 carat citrine, with 288 facets.

The Earth rotates quickly enough for the rotation to be visible: once every 60 seconds and the carrier system now rotates once every 10 minutes, which is twice as fast as the carrier systems of previous models (which take 20 minutes to make a single revolution). The globe of the Astronomia Sky does rotate on a vertical axis once every 24 hours, which is appropriate for the most astronomically accurate Astronomia watch. As in other models, the Earth is enameled titanium and has been engraved by hand.

The two axis flying tourbillon rotates on its central axis once per minute; it's technically a two-axis tourbillon thanks to the ten minute rotation of the carrier arms.

This is, not insignificantly, the smallest Astronomia; the original Astronomia is 50mm in diameter, with a 25mm-high crystal. The Astronomia Sky, by contrast, is a relatively svelte 44.5mm x 21mm. Obviously the point of these watches is not to be unobtrusive daily companions, but spectacular showpieces, however many folks will probably find the 44.5mm version of the Astronomia wearable in a way that the 50mm version is not.

The movement, caliber JCAM19, is 16.50mm x 34.55mm, inclusive of the height of the carrier arms and their components (excluding the garnet knocks that down to 11.70mm) and frequency is 28,800 vph, which is a higher frequency than any prior Astronomia model. Thanks to the additional complexity of the design relative to other Astronomia watches (and especially the contra-rotating aventurine backdrop) the parts count is higher than for any other Astronomia watch: 447 components, excluding gemstones.

This is as over-the-top as modern watchmaking gets, but behind the razzle-dazzle is quite a lot of hardcore serious horological engineering – as is the case with all watches, getting reliable performance and reasonable chronometry out of a movement with so many mobile elements rotating on a central axis is a pretty neat trick.

Model AstronomiaMovement Manual windingCase material TitaniumBracelet material LeatherYear 2019Condition New (Brand new, without any signs of wear)Scope of delivery Original box, original papersGender Men's watch/UnisexLocation United States of America, New York, New YorkCaliber